ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie has expressed satisfaction with the pace of the investigation into the collapse of a section of a building at the Royalton Negril Hotel construction site in Hanover.

McKenzie ordered the probe into the incident, which occurred early Tuesday morning, injuring five workers. A 30-day Stop Order has been placed on the project.

He said the technical team is receiving the full cooperation of the hotel management and contractors.

The three-member team conducting the investigation comprise Chief Technical Officer in the Local Government Ministry Dwight Wilson; city engineer, Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC), Norman Shand; and chief executive officer, National Works Agency (NWA), EG Hunter. The team has seven days in which to investigate and produce a report to the minister.

McKenzie said that while he has received an interim report on the incident, he will await the final assessment from the technical team before making any public pronouncements.

“I would be fair to wait until the assessment has been done in totality and then we speak as to what is the way forward. I am comfortable with the support that the technical staff has been getting and I am hoping that in short order we will be in a position to say something definitive on this matter,” he said.